Kilgarrah's Tale: The Beginning
by Les Miserabby
Summary: "My story is both long and sad. But I hope that you will listen to it..." Just what was Kilgarrah's story? Who was the Great Dragon before his kind were hunted and he was imprisoned by Uther? This is what I think his story is.
1. Prologue

**Kilgarrah's Tale:**

**The Story of The great Dragon**

**Book 1: The Beginning**

_Prologue_

_My story is both long and sad. But then, what story of a creature who is the last of it's kind is not sad? It is not a story that most would want to hear, but it is one that most, particularly Uther, should hear, as it could teach them many things, including compassion._

_So, if you will, I beg of you to take the time to hear my tale of sorrow. It begins long ago, at a birth. When I was born..._

_A female dragon nudged the eggs in her nest. They would hatch soon. At a sudden sound, she looked up to see her mate entering their cave._

"_Is it time?" he asked her._

"_I think so," she replied, looking back down. A crack then appeared in one of the shells. The two dragons watched closely as the baby dragon emerged. Shortly after, the other two eggs hatched as well, and the babies inside emerged to join their sister._

"_Kadris, what should their names be?" the female asked, looking at her mate._

"_How about Latra for the female?" Kadris suggested._

_The female nodded. "And Taris for the older male. You can name the youngest."_

_Kadris looked at the last young dragon thoughtfully for a moment before deciding. "Kilgarrah."_

* * *

><p><em>Life was good for the first ten months. My siblings and I grew. Everything was perfect. We were hapy, all five of us. Myself, Taris, and Latra, and our parents, Kadris and Saren. Then came the day we began to learn to fly. The day things began to change for our family forever.<em>


	2. Ch1: Of Flight and War

Chapter 1

"Hurry up, Kilgarrah! Don't you want to learn to fly?" Latra, my sister, was ahead of me. By now, she had reached the end of the tunnel and was out on the cliff in the gentle wind. She was nagging me about being slower, as usual. _One day,_ I vowed,_ I will be faster than Latra, and give her a taste of her own medicine!_

"Of course I do, Latra! Its not my fault you're faster! You're bigger, remember?" I reminded my sister. "Besides, I'm faster than Taris!" It was true, Taris was always the last. Either because he was lost or studying some rock or off in his own world. Or just being slow.

Latra nodded. "Good point. Where is he, anyway?" she asked

I shrugged. "Who knows?" We clearly both had the same thought, though. Was he lost again?

"Hi! What did I miss?" asked Taris a minute later, joining Latra and I outside on the rocky cliff.

It was just outside the tunnel that led deep into our home, a cave fifty feet down the tunnel. There were other chambers as well down the tunnel. We mostly styed in the one at the end of the tunnel though. The cliff that had the entrance to the tunnel and cave was ten to twenty feet up. It was very safe and well defended, especially since one of our parents was always there with us.

There were many tree around, too, and hills and mountains. Our home was on a mountain. There wa a lake, too, with a river. I liked our territory, even then, although at the time I hadn't seen too much of it beyond that cliff.

"We're going to learn to fly!" Latra told our brother excitedly. While Taris was shy and not overly intelligent yet, Latra was outgoing, constantly ecstatic, and quite cunning. I myself was in the middle.

"Really?" Taris asked.

"Yes," Kilgarrah confirmed.

"Are you ready?" We turned to see Kadris, their father.

"Yes!" Latra answered. Taris and I simply nodded.

"Excellent." Kadris stood, unfurling his two great wings. "By now, your wings have matured to a point where you can fly short distances. We will be starting with something simple, to be safe." He lifted himself a few feet in the air, and hovered for a few moments before landing. "Just to get used to being in the air, I want you to lift off the ground for a few feet, just for a few moments, then land."

The three of us nodded. "Latra, you try first," Kadris suggested. "Ten Taris, and Kilgarrah last." Of course. Things that involved taking turns always went in the order of how the three of us had hatched. And I was the youngest, althouh not by much. Taris was only seconds ahead.

Latra unfurled her small wings, which spread two feet in total, from tip to tip, and began to flap them. She soon managed to lift herself a foot in the air. She went a little higher, then landed. Taris and I each did the same when it was our turn, and did just as well, despite being smaller. Of course, we weren't smaller by much.

Kadris had us continue practising for a few hours, and soon the three of us could make their way the short two feet from the cliff to a tree. "Well done, all three of you," he told us at the end of the day. "That's all for today. We'll continue tomorrow."

"What? But I want to keep flying!" Latra complained.

"You need rest," Kadris insisted. "You're only ten months old. Go back inside. The three of you can play for a bit, then its time for you to sleep."

"But Dad-" Latra began to protest. She never finished her sentence. A horrifying screech cut her off. She fell silent immediately, eyes wide in terror. Mine and Taris' expressions mirrored hers. Kadris spread his wings and turned to see what was happening. "Get inside now!" he ordered. "Go to your mother and stay with her."

"What's going on?" I asked curiously, my curiosity overcoming the fear I felt inside.

"I don't know," Karis replied before flying away.

Kilgarrah, Latra, and Taris exchanged confused glances before hurrying back inside the cave.

* * *

><p>Late that night, our father returned. Latra and Taris were both asleep. I was pretending to be.<p>

"What happened?" our mother asked when Kadris had returned.

"Another dragon was invading our territory, seeking to set up here. They knew we were here though." He fell silent for a moment. Then he continued. "Saren, are they asleep?"

"Yes, why Kadris?"

"The dragon invading was no normal dragon. It was one of the army ones, a soldier of one of the conquerors."

"What? They're here now?"

"Unfortunately. They tried to recruit me, and I told him to leave. There was a short fight, but he's gone now. I'm fine, and our territory is safe for now. But if the conquerors are here, then the Dragon War will soon come to or area. Tomorrow I'll fly to one of the gathering places to find news of what;s happening. You'll have to take over the lessons."

"But Kadris-"

"We'll be fine, Saren. With luck, the conquerors will come no further an won't take any more territories. The free dragons such as us will remain free. Conquerors have come and gone in the past. These ones will go too."

"But Kadris, there have never been wars like these ones. This has been happening for over a year now. What if these conquerors succeed?"

"That won't happen, I promise you."

Meanwhile, I was trembling slightly in the dim light of the cave, hoping my parents couldn't see me. This was the first I'd heard of any conquerors. And weren't all dragons free? And what was that war they had mentioned? What was happening out there that our parents were keeping from us? And why were they not telling us? I supposed that that it couldn't be too important. They'd surely tell us if it was? Either way, I would tell Taris and Latra in secret. They would probably like to know, and I'd tell them not to let our parents know we knew. If Kadris had wanted us asleep before telling Saren, then we likely weren't supposed to know. That's when I had another thought. What if whatever was happening was too terrifying for us to know? If there was war, it likely was. But I knew now, and soon, so would Taris and Latra. I couldn't exactly keepp something like this from them, and from the sounds of things we'd have to know soon. Those were my last thoughts before drifting off to a dreamless sleep.


	3. Ch 2: Of Hunting and an unexpected Guest

Chapter 2

The next morning, I was awake first. It was not quite dawn yet. There was still a good hour left of first light. Kadris and Saren were asleep, as were Taris and Latra. I quickly and quietly woke my siblings, careful to make sure Saren and Kadris stayed asleep. They generally awoke shortly after dawn, but if there was too much noise, they could wake up sooner.

"What do you want, Kilgarrah?" Latra said angrily when I prodded her in the side, waking her. "You'd better have a good reason for this, this time!" She had been fast asleep, and hated being disturbed. Once I'd woken her up to see a raindrop, and she'd nearly taken my eyes out. This time I had an excellent reason. If I could get her to shut up.

"Shh, don't wake mother and father!" I hissed at her. I gestured to where Saren and Kadris were fast asleep. Saren had turned over, and we tensed, silent, until we were once again certain they were asleep.

Taris had the sense to stay quiet, and Latra was soon likewise.

"I heard something interesting last night when they thought we were all sleeping. I think it may be important," I told them.

"Well, then spit it out!" Latra replied. With a quick glance at our parents, I began.

Latra looked fascinated, and Taris looked terrified.

"Do you know what those conquerors are?" Latra asked. She was clearly curious, but that was hardly surprising. Latra was the kind of young dragon who would hear something along the lines of rest or sleep or not moving, and be bored and uninteresste. Something like hunting, learning to fly, or something else useful later on in life that didn't involve sitting still would interest her. So much as say the words 'fight', 'battle', or 'war', and you had her attention for good.

I glanced at Saren and Kadris again. They were still asleep, thankfully. I wondered what they'd do if they found out we knew about the conquerors and the other things I'd overheard. "No, I don't. I told you everything I heard. Anyway, they'll be awake soon, and they'll likely expect us to be asleep. We should probably pretend. Oh, and don't mention anything that could let them know you know."

"I won't need to pretend," Taris boasted. "I'm already halfway there..." As he spoke, he lay back down and was asleep moments after his sentence ended.

"Lazy dragon," Latra muttered, lying down and closing her eyes. It looked like she was asleep, but I knew Latra too well. Her front left foot wasn't tucked under her chest, as it always was when she slept. I don't know if she ever noticed, but I did.

I lay down as well, and within a few minuted, our parents awoke and got us up.

Our father, Kadris, said he was going away for a bit, and that our mother, Saren, would take care of teaching us while he was away. That meant there'd likely be a hunting lesson as well, since she normally took care of hunting.

So out we went, through the long tunnel, and emerged at the cliff.

"How much flying di your father teach you?" mother asked.

"Enough for us to get to that branch and back," I told her.

"Good. By the end of teh day, you chould be able to fly for long periods of time. Flying barely rerquires teaching. It comes naturally to dragons, which is why you learned so fast. Take off and fly around until your exhausted, then land back on this cliff. I'll watch from above. Don't go farther than the tree you can reach, and don't land until absolutely necessary. That is your lesson for today."

And so Saren flew high above us, and Latra, Taris and I began to fly around the cliff. We did well for the first round. Taris stayed up for the shortest time of ust over half an hour, and I flew the longest for just over an hour. Latra was up for fifty minutes.

Saren flew back down when we'd all landed. "Well done," she praised. "That was much better than teh first time I did that excersize as a young dragon. I was only up for twenty-five minutes." She hesitated for a moment, thoughtful. "How about we fly down and do a little hunting. Not for too long, though, as you're still young, but you're doing well enough with the flying that we can hunt for a bit."

We were all thrilled with that idea, so down the cliff we went to the forest floor to hunt. It was fascinating, learning to hunt. We'd fly low, just above the trees. Then, we saw it. A buck. Our mother Saren folded in her wings and dived, talons outstretched. She crashed into the deer, killing it instantly, and flew back up carrying the carcass.

"There, your first lesson in hunting. I'll teach you more tomorrow, but for now let's head back to the cave," she told us. "It looks like a storm."

Truly, it looked like there may be a little rain, but not an actual storm. Remembering what I'd heard last night, I dimply nodded. My siblings seemed to be thinking the same thing, and we all agreed without complaint. Saren seemed slightly surprised by this, but I guess she thought we were just tired beccause she didn't say anything, simply led the way back.

We soon returned to the cave. Saren easily carried the deer carcass down the tunnel leading to our home, the three of us following. We expected a nice dinner when we returned. That wasn't what we would get, unfortunately. We got something entirely different, something terrifying. Something that made me wish that Kadris hadn't left.

"Hello, Saren. Long time, no see."


	4. Ch 3: Of Shadows of the Past

Chapter 3

"Hello, Saren. Long time no see? Wouldn't you agree?" said the strange dragon in our cave. He was a pathetic yet frightening creature, with long, ragged wings. He was also quite large, although skinny, and muscular. An odd combination that only made him more frightening.

Latra, Taris and I all hid behind our mother, who spread her wings wide. The cave was just large enough for there to be a small space between her long wings and the cave walls.

"Get out of here, Shadrak. You are unwelcome in my cave." Saren bared her fangs, and lifted herself up on her hind legs. She probably looked very menacing at the moment. As I was hiding behind her, I couldn't tell. Although the strange dragon - Shadrak - only looked a little frightened. But he seemed frightened enough to make me think that our mother did look menacing.

"Do you have the strength to keep your hold on this cave and territory?" Shadrak replied to our mother, trying to sound brave. I was frightened. Was this one of the conquerors, come to steal our territory and kill us all or force us into their armies?

"You are a traitor to free dragons, brother. You are no longer welcome here!" Saren snarled. Brother? I hadn't known our mother had a brother. She never mentioned him the way father mentioned his two sisters, Lasarrah and Tikanah. But then, mother had just called him a traitor, and was openly threatening him, so I guessed she wasn't very fond of him. I wondered why. What could he have done that was so terrible that our mother would try to erase him from her life.

Beside me, Taris whimpered in the silence. I didn't blame him, but I wished he would sstay quiet. Shadrak smirked, a terrifying look on him. When he smirked, I noticed that there was a definate scar on his fae, like a dragon had clawed it with their talons. What had happened to him? I could tell that Latra was thinking the same thing, and staring at his face in fascination.

"So, you've got little one now," Shadrak said, walking to the side to get a better look at us. "When were you going to tell me about these ones? And did you ever mention that they had an uncle?"

"Never, after what you did to my last children. I was hoping you'd never touch them, never be in their lives." Last ones? Why had Saren and Kadris never told us we had other siblings, older brothers and sisters?

"That was a terrible accident sister, I-" Shadrak began, but Saren cut him off furiously.

"Accident? You murdered them!" Saren screeched. "You stole my children when they were five months old, brought them to your stupid conqueror, tried to get them battle training, and they were dead within three days of being taken from my cave! Kadris and I vowed never to let you harm our next brood, and you will not touch a single of my children again!" Shadrak flinched at that. "Or had you forgotten how you came by that scar, brother?" Saren growled menacingly. "Leave now, or I may actually take your eye out this time."

Shadrak's lip curled. "I could never forget. How could I forget my own sister turning against me, and trying to blind me out of spite? How could I forget my own sister becoming sadistic and trying to claw my eye out-"

"Me? Sadistic? I was defending my children-" Saren began to protest, but Shadrak cut her off.

"-Who were already dead!" Shadrak finished her sentence for her. "Why defend dead things? What use are they?" he said simply without feeling. He was emotionless, a monster. I disliked him immediately. I had the feeling that Latra and Taris felt the same.

"You have no pity, compassion, or mercy, Shadrak. Whatever good there was in you as a nestling is long gone now. You took my children from me and sentenced them to death. I repaid you for it with what you desrved. Now leave." Saren's voice was soft and sorrowful.

"Make me," Shadrak growled, crouching. I felt terrified. Would our mother fight this monster that was our uncle? I hoped not. What if he killed her? "Fce it Saren. Your mate isn't here to save you now. I'll kill you, and take your nestlings. They'll make fine warriors for my lord. I dare you to try and drive me off."

"Gladly." I breathed in a sigh of relief, and Taris and Latra also seemed relieved to hear the familiar voice of our father. He could surely get rid of the monster. "Touch my family and die, Shadrak," he threatened. "We all know how well your presence worked out last time we let you in. Now leave!"

Shadrak seemed frightened. He clearly knew he couldn't take on both my parents, for which I was grateful. Shadrak scurried out of the cave and down the tunnel, Kadris following him until Shadrak was out of sight and flying away.

"Is the monster gone?" Latra asked shyly. Latra? Shy? Shadrak had clearly frightened her if she was being shy. Shy was not a quality that my older sister possessed.

"Yes, he's gone dear," our mother soothed, trying to comfort her. "He won't hurt you, I promise. He won't return ever again."

"You promise?" Taris asked. My siblings were clearly both hopeful, as was I, but I felt that we hadn't seen the last of him.

"Saren," our father said before our mother could respond to Taris. "We need to tell them."

"Tell them what?" our mother asked, confused. My siblings and I were all visibly confused. Latra looked at me questioningly. I shrugged.

"Everything. The news I heard at the gthering place was not good. I doubt we've seen the last of Shadrak because of it," he told her. We all stared at our father in shock.

"Father, you must be mistaken," Latra exclaimed. "I don't want that monster here again! He wanted to kill mother and steal us!"

"He won't, Latra. Not if we leave noe, while we still can. But first I need to explain. This place isn't safe anymore, Saren. It's not the haven we thought it over a year ago when we came here. They're almost upon us again, and the free dragons must flee further if we hope to escape the conditions that forced us to leave."

"Father, what do you mean?" asked Taris, asking the question Latra and I had been dreading. "Why were you forced to leave?"

There was a moment of silence. Latra, Taris and I glance from parent to parent in the silence. Then our mother broke it.

"Tell them. You tell them, Kadris. I- its too horrible. My own brother!" She left the cave and went into the tunnel, seeking solitude. The three of us looked up at our father, who sighed.

"Five years ago, all dragons lived freely. Then some of them went bad, began conquering other territories. The conquered either left or let themselves enter servitude to their conqueror, forming the basis for an army. Shadrak, your uncle, was one such dragon. He, however, lied to us, saying he had fled. This was three years ago. Your mother and I had nestlings, four of them. They were five months old. Then, one night, in the middle of the night, he took the nestlings, brought them to his conqueror. They were dead within three days from the battle training. We fled after that, and eventually found this place. Similar things have been happening to other dragons. And now we must flee again, as the conquerors are closing in again. Nowehere near them is safe." Kadris looked down at his children. "Do you understand? Do you see why we must flee?"

All three of us nodded. We wanted to live, not to die.

Kadris sighed. "Good. Eat, then get some sleep. We're leaving first thing in the morning."

We nodded again, and our father went to fetch our mother, likely to try to comfort her. I wouldn't be surprised. Saren had been very distressed by Shadrak's visit, and after hearing the story, I wasn't at all surprised by that.

"I can't believe this!" Latra exlaimed after taking a bite from teh deer carcass. "We have to flee like cowards!"

"I'd rather run than die," I decided. "You live longer that way."

"In cowardice!" Latra retorted. Trust Latra to choose pride over life. Of course, to Latra, pride was life. As long as she had her pride, she could live as far as she was concerned.

"Whatever. I'm not having this fight now," I muttered. "I'm going to sleep."

"Alrgiht. Goodnight, Kilgarrah," Latra said. Taris echoed her. With thoughts of conquerors, fleeing, death, monsters and terrors in my mind, I drifted into a surprisingly dreamless sleep.


	5. Ch 4: Of Journeys and Dreams

**I'm not posting the next chapter after this one until I get at least two reviews. Oh, and just so you know, the dragons are no where near Camelot yet.**

Chapter 4

And so it was that my family left our home, our beautiful home. I wished we didn't have to leave, but it was necessary for survival. If we were to stay at our old home, we would liely die, like our older siblings we'd never met. Thar or be forced to join sides.

The journey would be long, but we would make it. All five of us. As we went, my siblings and I grew. After three months of flying, we were much bigger and stronger, with wingspans of seven feet, tip to tip. We learned how to hunt, although we weren't as good as our parents, Saren and Kadris.

When we set off, we would fly for days at a time, then stop every couple of days to rest. Dragons don't need a ton of rest, not when they become old enough. After a dragon is a year or so old, we don't need as much sleep. Although, the journey was tiring for us young ones.

My siblings and I still needed a fair amount of sleep, every twenty-three hours or so. But we were only getting sleep every thirty some hours. Not that we could tell. The hours blended into each other on our journey. Our long, long journey across the Great Land.

We travelled far each day, several miles. We passed over the mountain range we'd grown up in, headed straight for the ocean. It would be a long journey across the ocean. And getting there was long enough. We crossed over plains first, followed by forests, cliffs, a few lakes. The area was beautiful. Lush, rocky. We passed over it quickly, in a few weeks. I wished that it wasn't necessary for us to fly straight ahead. I wanted to go the extra few miles into the Ice Land, which bordered on the Great Land. I also wanted to see the Great Bay, which could pass for a sea with its size.

Unfortunately, that could never be. At least not then. I still long to see it some day. And perhaps I will eventually. I hope to. Some day, if I am freed, I will fly from the Shining Land, and go straight on to the Great Land, and see everything I missed. For there are many lands I still wish to see.

Our parents wanted to be sure that we would be safe for at least a year or two, so that we could find homes of our own for a bit before we were all driven out again. Therefore, we'd have to travel for a few months. Three months after we left, we settled down to rest for a couple days. We were two or three days away from the ocean by now. According to Saren, there were a few small islands between here and the Shining Land. Our mother would know. She'd been born there, and travelled the long distance to the Great Land. Although, the names of the Lands that I tell were only the ones the dragons gave them. They had many names.

"We should be safe for a day or two here," Kadris decided. "And even if its safe for longer, we can't stay longer than two days. Its illogical with this situation, and not safe. Especially if we're on another dragon's territory.

"Why not longer?" my sister askeed. Latra was always that way. "We should stay here, and fight them!" She was adamant about fighting, and determined not to show cowardice. Her stubborness would likely one day be her undoing.

"We cannot fight them. Our duty as your parents is to protect you until you are grown enough to protect yourselves!" Kadris told her.

He had a good point, dragons learned everything they knew from their parents, hunting, choosing territories, flying, and fighting, along with almost everything else. They were our teachers, our protectors for the first years of our life. We relied upon them entirely. Something Latra forgot on an almost daily basis recently.

Latra responded with a 'humph!' and flew off. She would return later, when she had calmed herself. She'd do that by hunting and enjoying killing some animal or other for food. That always calmed her. She liked killing, sadly.

Taris decided to stay with our parents at the cave, instead of flying around. He was nervous about being in an unfamiliar location. My brother wasn't a coward. He was nowhere near it. He was just cautious. He was no more a coward that Latra. They just had defferent forms of courage and bravery.

I myself decided to fly off as well, to explore. We were aloud to now. We were biger and stronger that we were just over a year old. We now had more freedom, but not too much more. Before I left, my parents warned me to be careful abouut other dragons. As he'd said before, Kadris thought there may be other dragons around. The area was lush and rich, which would be attractive to dragons seeking a territory.

And so I flew away from the cave we were staying in, alone. Or so I thought. As I made my way along, flying around the beautiful area full of trees and hills, and the sight of some more mountains, although these ones were smaller, I became aware of a set of eyes following me.

I continued flying, however. I would check it out later, when I wasn't surrounded by trees. When I reached a clear space, I would turn and check it out. If necessary, I would confront woever was following me. That would be sooner than expected. In minutes, I reached a clear space between a couple mountains. A moment later, I turned to face my follower.

"What are you doing on _my_ territory, Outsider?"


	6. Ch 5: Of New Companions

Chapter 5

Of New Companions

I whipped around to face my follower.

"What are you doing in _my_ territory, outsider?" the other dragon asked. I was so shocke that I nearly fell from the sky.

It was a female, older than me by a year or so. She had a slightly delicate build, almost like my sister, although my sister was definitely more built for fighting. I had a feeling that this stranger was more built for hunting and flying long distances.

"Well?" she asked again as I continued to stare, snapping my head back from out of the clouds. "Tell me why you're tresspassing, and I won't kill you!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know this was your territory," I replied honestly. "My family was forced to flee from our home, as the conquerors were closing in. We are headed for the ocean, which we plan to cross."

"I'd heard there was trouble to the west," the female replied, clearly curious. "What part of the Western Lands are you from?"

"Near the edge of the mountains. We left a couple months ago. My father heard news that they plan to conquer all of the Great Land and the Ice Land, then move on across the ocean to the Shining Land as well," I explained, relaxing. The female seemed more curious than hostile now, so I figured it was safe.

At that news though, she looked stunned. "They're headed here?"

I nodded. "Slowly. My father heard that about a month ago, and by then they'd only just finished taking over the High Mountains to the far west and were starting in on the plains. And there is much ground to cover to get here. I'm Kilgarrah, by the way."

"Saferrah," the female replied. "You're sure it will be a while before they get here?"

"Positive," I told her reassuringly. Then I realised something. She'd called it her territory, as if it was hers alone. And I'd only caught the scent of one dragon besides myself the entire time I'd been flying. And it had been her's. Yet she was so young, just over two years at the most. She couldn't possibly be ruling over her own territory. "Where are your parents?" I asked.

Saferrah suddenly looked ashamed. "I left them," she replied softly. "I also came from the West. My parents were Conquerors, but I hated my life there. So I flew away as soon as I was strong enough, stopping only or an hour or so at the most for rest. I was determined to put as much ground as possible between us. I wwas supposed to be looking for a mate. Witht he conquerors, dragons are sent out on their own faster. I was almost three years old at the time."

"Almost three?" It was now my turn to be shocked. Her entire story so far was shocking, but her age was probably the most surprising part. I'd already heard of children of conquerors abandoning their parents for freedom, so that wasn't too surprising. But Saferrah looked surprisingly young. Only two and a half at the most. She wasn't yet near full size, and once you turned three, you should be close to it by then.

She nodded. "I'm actually abour three and a half by now. I know I look younger, but all the new generation of conquerors do, probably bcause of the young age dragons are sent out on their own at. It should be four, but there dragons are expecte to be finding a mate by the time they're about three. Probably to speed things up so they can get a better army."

"That's probably it," I agreed.

"And now I'll have to flee again," she sighed. "Or else they'll catch me. Runaways are not treated well at all." She shuddered. "I saw it once. It was horrible. Too horrible to speak of."

"You can come with us!" I blurted out.

"What?"

"You can travel to the shining land with my family and I," I told her. "I'm sure my parents wouldnt mind." It was true. My parents were kind and accepting, and would gladly help any dragon in need. There was no way they'd let Saferrah be on her own. But more than that. I didnt want to be away from her.

I'd felt something strange and strong when I'd first seen her, almost like there was an invisible bond tethering us to each other. I had no idea why, or what it was, but I knew it was strange and special. I decided that Id have to remember to ask Kadris or Saren about it later.

I led Saferrah back to the cave that we were staying at, excited, and hoping that she could stay.

* * *

><p>"Of course Saferrah can travel with us," Saren replied when I asked. Saferrah, who had been shyly looking down, claerly nervous, looked up happily and excitedly when she heard. I felt relieved. I was glad that my parents had agreed to le her stay.<p>

"I'm sure that Latra will be happy to have another female close to her age," Kadris agreed. "Maybe that will help calm her."

Saferrah looked curious. "Latra?"

"Our daughter," Saren explained. "Kilgarrah has two siblings, Latra and Taris. Latra is the only female, and she is quite unmanageable."

"What's going on?" Taris entered the area. He spotted Saferrah. "Why does Latra look different?"

Saren sigehd and shook her head. "Its not Latra, Taris."

Saferrah took a step towards Taris. "Hello, my name is Saferrah. You must be Taris." Taris blinked and looked shy.

"Y-yes, thats me. Taris." I sighed. Taris had never seen another female before, save for Saren and Latra. So it was only natural that he would stammer and be shy around her.

Saferrah smiled at him. "There's no need for shyness. I'm staying with you now."

"Really? Great! Now Latra will leave me alone!" Taris exclaimed. Typical. Of course he would think of Latra ignoring him instead of the fact that there was a new dragon in our group.

"So where is this Latra you keep mentioning?" Saferrah asked curiously.

"Out flying somewhere," I replied. "As usual."

"I'm back! Where is the runt?"

"Latra," Taris groaned.

"Why do I smell a stranger?" Latra demanded as she entered the cave.

"Hello, I'm Saferrah," Saferrah said warmly. Lara simply blinked at her.

"Safferah will be travelling with us now, Latra," Kadris told her.

"Will she?" Latra replied questioningly, circling her. _Please accept her,_ I thought hopefully. Latra began a quick, curious interrogation of Saferrah. When she'd finished, she smiled slightly. "She'll do."


	7. Ch 6: Of Daydreams and Oceans

Chapter 6

Of Daydreams and Oceans

Three days after Saferrah joined us, we left. We headed East, for the Ocean, then after, the Shining Land. The land where magic was still powerful, and the Old Religion ruled.

Almost everywhere else, new religions such as Christianity were becoming powerful, everywhere that the Romans spread. I doubted it would be long before they invaded the Shining Land. In the Great Land, the Old Religion was still somewhat powerful, but the peoples of the Great Land had their own religions, although there were a rare few there that knew of the Old Religion, and practiced it.

My kind were entirely of the Old Religion, for dragons are creatures of magic. Where we were heading, we would belong. Dragons had originally come from the Shining Land, the Shining Land being the birthplace of the Old Religion. A century after their origin, dragons began to spread, along with the Old Religion. Millions of years ago, billions of years, in fact, when all was one land, dragons began to spread from their land of origion to other lands. As the Great Continent divided, the travelling continued for a few million years before slowing, Now, dragons tended to stay on the continent of their birth, although every few centuries or so, they would move, usually out of curiosity, sometimes out of desire to see the Shining Land, our land of origion, although sometimes, they would move out of necessity, as we were doing.

And now my family and Saferrah were returning to our homeland, the Shining Land. It lay ahead of us, across the ocean. And the Ocean lay just under a day ahead, across the mountains. We were already at the mountains, for Saferrah's territory resided in them, and we had stayed in a cave in the mountains for the three days we were there. But we had not travelled farther than the first peak and the foothills. Now we were to travel through the mountains and cross the majestic range. They were far smaller than the great, towering range that I had been born in, which in future years would become known as the Rockies, yet they still held their own beauty. They were long since weathered, worn down, and very old. Many years later, they would come to be known as the Appalachian mountains.

We flew slowly, wanting to enjoy what little time we had left in the land of our birth and our parent's birth before leaving it behind for what could be forever.

A few days later, we arrived at the shore. The ocean was spread out before us, seemingly endless, glorious. The blue water and the sky appeared to melt into each other, so that one could not tell what was waterfrom what was sky.

"Its so beautiful," Latra whispered, her wings rustling with the need to fly across it, the need to find the Shining Land. We could all feel it. Only a few hundred miles away lay the Shining Land. The closer we got, the stronger the pull to return to it, whether you were born there or not.

But already the sun was beginning to sink in the sky, and the first island we could rest on was too far to fly to at this point in time.

"We'll set out at dawn," Kadris told us. "We cannot reach the first island today, it would be after midnight by the time we got there."

"But I want to fly _now_!" Latra retorted, desperate to get there.

"Your father is right," Saren replied, her wings rustling with her own urge to fly. "We need rest, its a long journey to the Shining Land. And we can get there faster if we rest here and leave at dawn. You can hunt if you want."

So we all set out hunting. Taris and Latra stuck together; Taris was growing stronger and braver now, making Latra somewhat more fond of him, although she would still mock him at times. The two had an odd relationship, more of a tolerance of each other. Saferrrah and I left to hunt together, and Saren and Kadris went off together as well.

Saferrah and I hunted for a little while. We each caught a couple rabbits and squirrels, which we ate quickly. We were all growing stronger and larger. By now, we were almost the same size as Saren and Kadris. In a few short months, we would be full size dragons, and a month after that, we would go off on our own.

Saferrah, however, was already full size. That was hardly surprising as she was older, but I was also saddened by the fact. It meant that once we arrived, she would leave us to find her own territory. And I didn't want her to go.

When we were done eating, the two of flew around, enjoying the twilight air and the sunset on the ocean. It was beatuiful, the sun was half-visible upon the water, seeming to sink beneath the ocean, turning the sky orange, red, violet, and dark pink. The water appeared to be as red as blood as it caught the sky's reflection.

"Its so beautiful," Saferrah whispered as she looked out at the vast body of water.

I nodded in agreement. "I know. It's very beautiful." _Like you,_ I added mentally. I wished I could tell her what I thought to her face. But I was too afraid.

She smiled at me, then looked back out at the water. We stayed there in silence, side by side until the sun had all but vanished beneath the ocean before returning to the shore.

As we stayed there watching, I imagined the future. Saferrah and I together in the Shining Land as mates, raising our own children, protecting our territory. It wasn't teh first time I'd imagined this, it was my favourite daydream, one that I had frequently.

But I doubted it would happen. How was I supposed to know if she felt the same way? I sighed as we flew back to the shore. I would tell her one day, but not that day.


	8. Ch 7: Of the Shining Land

**... Oopsies, sorry guys that I haven't updated in a couple of months or so... Forgive me? Pwease?**

Chapter 7

Of The Shining Land

"Water. There's nothing but water ahead!" That was all that Latra had to say as we stood on the shores of the Great Water of the West. It was blue, wide, and far. It was the most vast body of water that any of us had ever seen.

Saferrah's wings rustled impatiently. It was clear that she longed to cross it immediately. We could all feel the pull. But the water was so wide...

By now, my siblings and I were almost entirely full-sized. There was a mere foot's difference between us and our parents. We would be able to manage the flight, no problem. But at the same time, it would be our first great challenge.

"You're all perfectly rested?" Saren aske us, her voice even, yet there was a note of concern, and slight worry in her eyes.

"Yes mama," we replied. Saferrah simply nodded.

"You've eaten, you have enough energy to last a several hour flight?"

"Yes."

"Good. I have nothing else to ask you, except for one last thing. Are you ready to leave, for the Shining Land?" she asked us.

"Yes." We all nodded enthusiastically, eager to fly the great distance, cross the Great Water, and go straight on ahead to the Shining Land. The Land of the birth of magic, the Land where dragons had originate millions of years before.

We would not, perhaps, have been so eager to go to the Shining Land if we had known that a mere three centuries later, our kind would be hunted brutally by the future King, Uther Pendragon. But we did not know. We did not know that dragons would be forced to flee the Kingdoms surrounding Camelot for the further parts of the Shining Land, that families would be torn apart, and that magic would be dishonoured and shunned in the parts of the Shining Land that we were headed for. So we were eager, and took flight with hope in our hearts, and flew to what would become our undoing.

Our great wings spread wide, and within a few small flaps we began to lift into the air and fly. We rose up, up, up into the sky, above the Great Water, above the mountains, above the Great Land. Everything below and above us was beautiful. The sky was blue with vast, fluffy, white clouds all around us, below us was nothing but water after a while of flying.

We flew past small islands, dotted with trees and rocks. After a few hours, we landed on one of the islands for a short rest. I could tell that my brother was grateful for the rest. Latra and I were strong, and so was Saferrah, but my brother, Taris, was somewhat tired by that point. He may be the second eldest, but he was also the weakest.

I thought of the events of the past couple of years. They had been spent travelling. I had been nearly year at the time we'd left, and now, close to two years, later, I would soon be three. One year from now, I'd be preparing to be off on my own. I had barely realized how much time had passed. I gazed at my reflection in the water. I looked like my father, only somewhat smaller. I glanced up and looked at Taris. He did as well, to an extent, but less so that I. Latra resembled our mother, only with a slightly less delicate look.

Saferrah, of course, looked like neither of our parents, not being of our family. She was stunning though. Small and delicate. Full size, but not typical dragon full size. She was smaller than mountain dragons, having adapted to a different habitat. She was like the smaller dragons that could be found at the Western Ocean territories. It made sense considering that she had been born there. Of course, according to her, she was still slightly small even for a dragon from that region. Her scales were also lighter than ours were. She was still, however, quite a beautiful dragon.

I sighed. I was still too young for a mate. I'd be too young for nearly another year still. Of course, Saferrah and Latra appeared to be quickly becoming good friends. Maybe if they remained friends and I kept on good terms with my sister, I'd be able to find Saferrah when I was old enough for a mate, and, hopefully, win her.

After all, siblings remaining close was not uncommon. Kadris, our father, kept in touch with his sisters, Lasarrah and Tikanah. I'd even met them before. Of course, as far as I knew, he had lost touch with them when we'd fled. If so, it was a shame. I'd like his sisters. They were really nice. I hoped that we would meet again.

"Kilgarrah?" Taris asked me, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Yes Taris?" I asked, turning my head to look at my brother.

"Why do you keep staring at Saferrah? You're almost always looking at her!" Taris asked.

I flinched and hesitated.

"Do you like her?" he asked me.

I sighed. "Yes, I like her."

"Oh. That's a shame. Mom and dad say that we'll reach the Shining Land by tomorrow if we keep flying this fast, and you know Saferrah will likely leave us then. Right?"

I grimaced. "Yeah. Unfortunately."

Taris looked at me sympathetically.

"All right, time to move out again! We have to fly hard and fast, the ocean is too great for slowness, and there are no more islands," Saren told us.

We all stretched our wings and took to the sky, flying as hard and fast as we could. All through the night we flew, desperate for land after a few hours, and feeling hunger setting in harder. Then, at dawn, we finally saw it.

The Shining Land lay before us at last.


End file.
